Summary
Though reality TV, particularly reality competition shows, are quite popular, there aren’t very many that appeal to fans of genre media (such as fantasy, sci-fi, or horror). It can be difficult to turn those genres into an interesting enough concept to base a reality show around. What’s more, since they appeal to more niche audiences, a lot of networks may feel wary about funding something that doesn’t have mass appeal. Luckily, the Syfy channel was able to capitalize on the interests of its core audience and create a reality show that sparked the interest of both genre fans, and a more general audience as well.
That show was a reality competition show calledFace Off(and no, it’s not related tothe movie starring Nicholas Cage and John Travolta). This show was unique, as it put a spotlight on special effects makeup, which was something that only a niche group of people would normally have an interest in.Face Offshowcased the intricate process and skills required to create a good SFX makeup look, giving audiences a fascinating glimpse behind the scenes of their favorite media. Not only that, but it also showed off the amazing creativity and skills of the artists who joined the show as contestants.
What Is Face Off About?
Face Offis a reality show where skilled makeup and special effects artists compete to make SFX looks based on specific themes that they are given, often with challenging restrictions. These looks are judged by experienced, award-winning SFX artists who are respected in the industry, such as Ve Neill, who has won Oscars for her work onfilms likeBeetlejuiceandMrs. Doubtfire. As the series moves forward, the artist who creates the weakest look of each week is eliminated. At the end, the winner of the competition is awarded $100,000 prize money, as well as $25,000 worth of makeup.
The themes that the artists are given to work with range from mashups (such as creating horror versions of fairytales), to gender-swapping, and even body painting. The artists must create every look essentially from scratch, sculpting and molding all of their own prosthetics and doing the paint job on all of them as well, within the span of 3 days. Part of the appeal of the show is getting to see the cool creations that the artists come up with. Some of them come up withtruly impressive charactersthat could absolutely be put in a real movie, which is quite a feat considering the time crunch that the artists are under.
The other main draw of the show is getting to see the whole process of how these SFX makeups are created. Millions of genre movie fans have looked at their screens and wondered how makeup effects were achieved. People who are interested in the behind-the-scenes of how movies are made, and who arereal nerds for sci-fi and horror(where prosthetic makeups are often used) would love to see the intricate process required to make these looks. It underlines just how talented professional makeup artists really are, because they can create such realistic-looking characters out of nothing but silicone, foam, and paint.
In recent yeahs, the special effects industry seems to be used less and less in Hollywood with the rampant use (and perhaps over-use) of CGI.Face Offis a great reminder of how much the SFX makeup work in classic and beloved sci-fi and horror movies is part of what makes them so memorable.
How Many Seasons of Face Off Are There?
Face Offhad 13 seasons and ran from 2011 to 2018. In August 2017, Syfy aired a spin-off series calledFace Off: Game Face, which brought back four all-star artists from pastFace Offseasons and had them compete for $10,000.
The judging panel for all 13 seasons consisted of TV and film makeup artist Glenn Hetrick and the aforementioned Academy Award-winning artist Ve Neill.Creature designer and director Patrick Tatopouloswas on the judging panel for seasons 1-3, and creature and concept designer Neville Page joined as a judge for seasons 3-13. A number of industry professionals (such as actors, directors, and other renowned makeup artists) occasionally joined as guest judges as well.
Where Can You Watch Face Off?
All 13 seasons ofFace Offcan be streamed onfuboTV,as well as through theSyfy, NBC, and USA Networkchannels. 5 seasons are available to stream on Peacock Premium. All seasons of the show can also be purchased throughPrime Video, Apple TV, Google Play, and Vudu. The main way to watch the show for free without a subscription to any of the previously mentioned streaming services is through using a free trial of Apple TV Plus.
